Bonus Chapter: Dream One

At the midnight bus stop, orange neon lights flickered.

Their dim glow stretched for miles along the deserted streets.

It was a world enveloped in silent stillness.

The last bus was nearly empty.

A young girl, clutching a cake box and a packet of candles, limped her way aboard.

She made her way to the very last seat and settled by the window.

Rather than placing the cake on the empty seat beside her, she hugged it even tighter.

The bus jolted along its route, passing only the occasional cleaning vehicle on the desolate roads.

It never stopped, except for traffic lights, continuing its bumpy journey…

A man, cigarette in hand, emerged from his company building.

He swore that in his next life, he would start his own business, absolutely refusing to be a s*ave to anyone else!

“Damn it, making me run errands in the middle of the night.”

From a distance, the man spotted the bus speeding towards him.

“Hey! What the hell, that can’t be the last bus, can it?”

He quickly extinguished the cigarette he’d been holding, tossed it into a rubbish bin, and then sprinted wildly towards the bus stop.

Leaning against the pole for support, the man panted, addressing the driver who had just opened the door:

“Uncle, why are you driving the bus so fast? Are you the God of Mount Akina?”

The driver chuckled genially:

“Well, you made it, didn’t you? It’s the middle of the night, and there’s no one around, so I’m hoping to get off work early too.”

The man climbed onto the bus, pulled a packet from his bag, and offered it to the driver:

“Here, Uncle, it’s late, have a smoke!”

The driver closed the bus door, declining:

“My wife doesn’t like the smell of smoke, so I quit.”

As the bus pulled away, the man felt that unique push-back sensation, grasping a pole as he declared:

“Uncle, you’re a real man! You spoil your wife!”

The young girl at the back, seeing the man board the bus, felt a momentary sparkle in her eyes, which quickly dimmed.

She even instinctively shrank further into her seat.

The man, however, was sharp-eyed.

A quick glance backward caught sight of the girl.

He walked over, then turned and sat in the seat directly facing her.

“Why are you hiding when you see me? I thought we were already friends?”

The man feigned sadness, dramatically clutching his chest.

Anxious not to be misunderstood, the girl quickly looked up and stammered:

“No… no. We are… friends. Really…”

The girl managed only a few words, her voice growing progressively softer.

By the end, it was a mere whimper, almost inaudible to the man.

Noticing her clutching the cake, the man asked tentatively:

“Is it your birthday today?”

The girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

“Mm…”

“Happy birthday,” the man said with a smile.

“I wish you more confidence in the future.”

A faint blush spread across the girl’s slightly sallow face.

She quickly lowered her head, unwilling for the man to see.

“I didn’t bring anything else…” The man rummaged through his pockets and briefcases, but ultimately found nothing.

“Then, please have some candy!” This was the only thing he had on him.

“I hope you don’t get tired of it.”

The girl accepted the candy, whispering softly:

“Thank you. I won’t get tired of it, never.”

“Your stop has arrived.”

The girl quickly stood up, waved to the man, and took small steps off the bus.

As the bus doors slowly closed, the driver looked at the monitor and asked:

“Handsome, why aren’t you getting off? There’s only one stop left.”

The man sat back in his seat, hands clasped behind his head, and sighed helplessly:

“I passed my stop ages ago. What’s the point of getting off now?”

“Just the next stop then! I need to buy something anyway.”

****

Inside her rented room, the girl carefully peeled open the candy wrapper.

When she saw the familiar four characters, she contentedly placed the candy in her mouth.

After her leg surgery, this was the first time she had gone out alone, and it was to buy herself a birthday cake.

After losing contact with her family, that guy was also the first one to wish her a happy birthday.

In the cramped, dim room, the girl unwrapped the carefully packaged cake.

She then inserted the candles; though the cake was small, over twenty candles were densely packed onto its surface.

However, when she reached the next step, the girl was dumbfounded: she had no lighter at home!

Undeterred, the girl rummaged through every box and drawer in her home, yet failed to find even a single spark.

The girl put on her coat.

‘I should go buy one at the convenience store,’ she thought.

‘I can’t just give up; I should celebrate this birthday properly,’ she mused.

‘Someone has already wished me well,’ she remembered.

As she pushed open the creaking iron gate, the girl peeked out, only to see someone approaching the stairs.

The rhythmic ‘clack-clack-clack’ of leather shoes echoed through the empty stairwell.

The somewhat sluggish sensor light flickered on, casting a silvery-white glow on the landing, stretching a long shadow.

The girl timidly thought to herself, ‘I’m not scared. I’ll just wait for that person to leave, then go down to buy a lighter.’

Beneath the silvery light, the man ascended the stairs.

The girl was too surprised to speak.

In his hand, he carried a carefully wrapped brown teddy bear.

He smiled at her:

“Why are you out here? Look, a birthday present for you.”

“Didn’t you go home?” Her voice, surprisingly, was now coherent.

“Who celebrates a birthday alone? I’ll keep you company, won’t I?”

The man’s smile was bright and sunny, shining under the silvery light.

The girl threw her arms around the man.

She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry, but! But… she was truly so happy!

Her tears soaked the front of the man’s shirt.

The man gently soothed her:

“There, there, don’t cry. Today is your birthday, after all.”

After a good while, the girl finally pulled away from the man.

“Why did you come out?”

“A lighter. I… forgot.”

The man pulled a lighter from his pocket, shaking it playfully at the girl:

“Good thing I have one. Come on in, little birthday girl, let’s celebrate your birthday.”

Faint candlelight flickered in the room.

After the man switched off the lights, the girl’s face was illuminated by the glow of the flames.

The man clapped his hands, softly singing:

“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you…”

The girl blew out the candles.

“Make a wish!”

‘If only, I hope my future life will get better and better… and his too.’

The man switched the lights back on, clapping enthusiastically, and smilingly wished her:

“Happy birthday.”

The girl cut the cake in half and pushed a piece towards the man:

“Thank you.”

The man held up his slice of cake and said:

“You were able to stand on your own, to go out and buy a cake for yourself. You should thank yourself, you’re amazing!”

When one constantly expresses gratitude to others, it’s easy to forget that the person most deserving of thanks is oneself.

The girl paused, then nodded firmly:

“I am amazing.”

“Exactly! Only by believing in yourself can you believe in life! You’ll only get better and better from now on!”

The man stayed at the girl’s home for a long time, talking with her extensively.

It was only when he was about to leave that he remembered.

“You still don’t know my name, do you?”

“Mm… I guess not.”

The man ruffled the girl’s hair, smiling as he said:

“My name is Zhou Haochen. Remember that!”

The girl etched ‘Zhou Haochen’ deep into her memory.

Seeing him about to descend the stairs, she quickly tugged at the hem of his shirt.

“Hm? What is it?”

“I… my name is Bai Sha! You absolutely mustn’t forget!”

Zhou Haochen chuckled, turning back to say:

“Little Bai Sha! I’ll remember you!”

Only then did Bai Sha release her grip, and Zhou Haochen waved as he left.

****

In truth, as the son of her surgeon, how could he not have known her name?